Ductless fume hood gas monitoring and detection system

ABSTRACT

A ductless fume hood suitable for the removal of various chemical materials including toxic and non-toxic gases, vapors, particles, dust and unpleasant odors from a fluid stream. The ductless fume hood uses electronic devices and software to enable real time monitoring of gas levels in parts per million.

CROSS REFERENCE AND PRIORITY TO RELATED APPLICATIONS UNDER 35 U.S.C. 120

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/838,195 entitled “DUCTLESS FUME HOOD GASMONITORING AND DETECTION SYSTEM,” filed on Aug. 27, 2015, now U.S. Pat.9,587,846 issued on Mar. 7, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/765,345 entitled “DUCTLESS FUME HOOD GASMONITORING AND DETECTION SYSTEM,” filed on Feb. 12, 2013, now U.S. Pat.No. 9,121,622 issued on Sep. 1, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/541,384, filed on Aug. 14, 2009 andentitled “DUCTLESS FUME HOOD GAS MONITORING AND DETECTION SYSTEM”, nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,372,186 issued on Feb. 12, 2013, which are all herebyexpressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to ductless fume hoods includingan electronic device and software to enable real time monitoring of gaslevels in the exhaust plenum, interfilter monitoring port(s), andambient laboratory air.

BACKGROUND

Ductless, or filtration, fume hoods are a specific type of fume hoodthat use a filtration system to remove contaminants from an air stream.Ductless hoods operate by simply forcing contaminated air from the hoodenclosure through a filter to remove particulates and chemical vaporsbefore returning the air to the laboratory environment.

Ductless hoods have several convenient advantages over laboratoryinstalled, ducted hoods. They are mobile and portable and have minimalinstallation costs as they do not have to be connected to a duct system.They are environmentally friendly, as no toxic gases are released intothe atmosphere. Ductless hoods also have very low operating costs, as noconditioned air is removed from the laboratory and vented outside.Instead, the exhaust air is recirculated through the filter system intothe laboratory environment.

Because of the advantages listed above, ductless hoods are popular withacademic laboratories and hospitals. As ductless hoods are able to beoperated anywhere in the laboratory and often are made transparent onall sides and as such, they are ideal for teaching demonstrations,allowing students to surround the hood. Ductless hoods have also grownin popularity in industrial laboratories, where they can be used forspecific projects with low costs.

The main drawback of ductless hoods is the potential release of toxicgases into the laboratory because of filter saturation and breakthrough.While most of the advantages of using ductless hoods are derived fromthe re-circulating of air from the hood back into the laboratory, thisre-circulation means that the air exiting the hood must be filtered andmonitored at all times. Most ductless hoods use a filter comprisingactivated carbon as their filtration system. Although activated carbonis highly adsorbent, the activated carbon eventually become saturated.When the activated carbon becomes saturated through the thickness of thefilter, chemical vapors are no longer adsorbed and begin to breakthrough into the exhaust.

The primary inconvenience of operating a ductless hood is the need tomonitor the hood filter to ensure the safety of those working in thelaboratory. If the exhaust concentration of a specific compound exceedsthe allowed limits set by the United States Occupational Health andSafety Administration (OSHA) or other local limits, then the filter mustbe changed. Prior designs have conventionally employed a timer thatsounds an alarm every given number of days, typically between six andtwelve months of operation time, to notify the user that it is time tocheck the condition of the filter. However, studies have shown thatthese arbitrary alarms rarely coincide with the actual timing of filtersaturation. This is not surprising, as this arbitrary method of filtermonitoring does not take into account the actual use of the hood whileit is running Because of the unreliability of the conventional alarms inthe prior art, they are often ignored, leaving the user to test thecondition of the filter whenever the user feels it might be necessary.In most cases, the user will wait until a detectable odor develops inthe laboratory, which is often the point at which the concentration ofthe compound in the air has already exceeded the OSHA limits. In othercases where the compound being used is odorless, the user is forced tobe very vigilant in checking filter efficiency, and often spends a greatdeal of time performing tests that are not necessary. Better methods offilter monitoring are needed to maintain the safety of the hood operatorand others in the laboratory without imposing inconvenient requirementsthat the filter be checked more often than necessary.

Other ductless hood designs have attempted to solve this problem byinstalling a gas sensor downstream of the filter to detect theconcentration of compounds in the filter exhaust. This effort haslargely proven futile as it is not possible to monitor the hundreds ofdifferent compounds used in a laboratory with just one sensor. Thesensors used in ductless hoods are typically broad range detectorswithout any specificity for particular compounds. Although controlsystem read-out can be obtained for the exhaust gas concentration, it isdifficult to correlate this read-out to an actual concentration of anactual gas, and report to the user if that concentration actuallyexceeds the OSHA exposure limits. Much of this phenomenon comes from thefact that many sensors have widely varied sensitivity to differentgases. This varied sensitivity makes it very difficult to choose a levelof detection for the sensor at which the alarm should be triggered,especially in a situation when multiple types of chemicals are to beused in the hood. Another major problem is that none of these alarmmethods use an absolute zero reference so resulting alarm points arearbitrary. An improved ductless hood filter monitoring system wouldgreatly improve on the safety and ease of use of ductless hoods.

Furthermore, using existing technology, it is still necessary to performair sampling tests to confirm that the filter is actually compromised.These tests usually involve use of a gas detection tube containing acolor change reagent specific to the gas to be detected. Whenever afilter alarm sounds, the user must stop work and take the time to samplethe exhaust air using a hand pump before deciding if a filter change isactually necessary. More convenient methods for determining filter lifeare necessary to simplify compliance with safety regulations.

SUMMARY

The invention generally relates to new methods and apparatuses formonitoring gases in ductless fume hoods and chemical removal filtersthus enabling real time monitoring of gas levels at various stages.

In one aspect, a ductless fume hood is described, said ductless fumehood comprising:

-   -   a hood enclosure comprising a slideable window and a baffle,        wherein the slideable window is open to a room for ingress of        room air into the hood enclosure for combination with        contaminated air generated in the hood enclosure to form an        effluent stream; optionally at least one high efficiency        particulate air (HEPA) filter; at least one chemical removal        filter; a detection system comprising a photo-ionization        detector (PID); an exhaust stack; and a motor, wherein the motor        draws the effluent stream serially through the baffle, the        optional at least one HEPA filter and the at least one chemical        filter for egress at the exhaust stack.

In another aspect, a method of determining the concentration of acontaminant gas in parts per million (ppm) from a sample site in aductless fume hood is described, said method comprising:

-   -   (a) measuring the current of contaminant-free air using a PID        detector and saving the measurement as a zero reading;    -   (b) measuring the current of a known quantity of a reference gas        using the PID detector and saving the measurement as a reference        gas measurement;    -   (c) calculating the linear regression equation based on the zero        reading and the reference gas measurement;    -   (d) measuring the current of at least one contaminant gas from        the sample site using the PID detector; and    -   (e) calculating the concentration of the contaminant gas from        the sample site using the linear regression equation.

In still another aspect, an interfilter monitoring system is described,said system comprising:

-   -   a filter enclosure;    -   at least one adsorbent material located in said filter        enclosure; and    -   at least one sampling tube located within the filter enclosure,        wherein said at least one sampling tube is communicatively        connected to a second valve which is communicatively connected        to a detection device.

In yet another aspect, a process comprising removing at least onecontaminant species from an effluent stream using a ductless fume hoodis described, wherein the ductless fume hood comprises:

-   -   a hood enclosure comprising a slideable window and a baffle,        wherein the slideable window is open to a room for ingress of        room air into the hood enclosure for combination with        contaminated air generated in the hood enclosure to form an        effluent stream;    -   optionally at least one high efficiency particulate air (HEPA)        filter;    -   at least one chemical removal filter;    -   a detection system comprising a photo-ionization detector (PID);    -   an exhaust stack; and    -   a motor, wherein the motor draws the effluent stream serially        through the baffle, the optional at least one HEPA filter and        the at least one chemical filter for egress at the exhaust        stack.

Another aspect relates to a process of monitoring for the presence of atleast one contaminant species in a gas sample withdrawn from a chemicalfilter, said process comprising:

-   -   positioning at least one sampling tube within a filter        enclosure, wherein said filter enclosure includes at least one        adsorbent material, and said at least one sampling tube or gap        is communicatively connected to a detection device;    -   withdrawing the gas sample from within the filter enclosure and        moving said sample to the detector;    -   measuring for the presence of the at least one contaminant        species in the gas sample using the detector.

Other aspects, features and advantages will be more fully apparent fromthe ensuing disclosure and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a ductless fume hood describedherein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section of the ductless fume hood of FIG. 1taken along line X.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the detection system of the ductless fumehood described herein.

FIG. 4A illustrates a cross section of the interfilter monitoring systemof the ductless fume hood described herein.

FIG. 4B illustrates a cross section of the interfilter monitoring systemof FIG. 4A taken along line Y.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS THEREOF

The invention generally relates to new methods and apparatuses formonitoring gases in ductless fume hoods enabling real time monitoring ofgas levels at various stages. The ductless fume hood described herein issuitable for numerous uses and applications involving the handling ofvarious chemical materials which include or produce toxic and non-toxicgases, vapors, particles, dust and unpleasant odors.

As used herein, an “Acid Sensor” corresponds to a sensor that changes pHin response to the presence of acidic gases. The change in pH isregistered as a change in electrical conductivity and recorded as achange in the concentration of acid gases.

As used herein, “Set Measure” corresponds to a method for determining achange in absolute gas concentration relative to a known zero readingthat is controlled by the use of a device to eliminate backgroundambient gases found in a normal laboratory environment. The set measuremode can provide gas concentrations in parts-per-million (ppm) for roomair, exhaust air, and interfilter monitoring air.

As used herein, “Set Comparator” corresponds to a method of measuringthe change in status of a filter relative to a normal condition with anew filter. A “clean air” measurement can be taken during filter changeand stored in memory. Subsequent measurements are compared to the “cleanair” measurement. When the difference between the “clean air” and thesubsequent measurement exceeds 50% threshold limit value (TLV) for thereference chemical, filter change is imminent.

As used herein, “Interfiber Monitoring” refers to the measurement,within filter media, of gas levels within the filter.

As used herein, the “laboratory environment,” the “laboratory” and “theroom” are used interchangeably.

As defined herein, “substantially clean air” corresponds to air that hasbeen scrubbed of contaminant gases using the ductless fume hooddescribed herein, wherein at least about 95%, more preferably about 98%,even more preferably about 99%, and most preferably at least about 99.5%of the contaminant gases present upstream of the chemical filter havebeen removed upon passage through said filter.

As used herein, “sampling tubes” correspond to any structure having gapsor holes therein, e.g., perforations, wherein the sampling tubes can bepositioned/located within a chemical filter and gas samples can becollected from the chemical filter and directed out of the filter to adetector via a connecting system. It should be appreciated by oneskilled in the art that the tubes are not required to be tubular inshape, nor do they have to be straight as illustrated in the figuresintroduced herein. For example, the sampling tubes may be serpentine,straight, curved and/or angled. The tubes themselves may have circular,oval, square, triangular or polygonal cross-sections. The gaps or holesmay be circular holes, oval holes, square holes, triangular holes,polygonal holes, slits, or any other gap that allows the gas to enterthe sampling tube. Alternatively, at least one internal air gap in thefilter may be constructed that allows air to freely flow from the airgap and give a representative level of the gases in this air gap at thelevel being assayed.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the ductless fumehood described herein may be embodied as a method, system, computerprogram product, or a combination of the foregoing. Accordingly,embodiments of the ductless fume hood may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment or an embodiment combining software (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) and hardware aspects thatmay generally be referred to herein as a “system.” Furthermore,embodiments of the ductless fume hood may take the form of a computerprogram product on a computer-readable medium having computer-usableprogram code embodied in the medium.

Any suitable computer-readable medium may be utilized. Thecomputer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples ofthe computer-readable medium include, but are not limited to, anelectrical connection having one or more wires; a tangible storagemedium such as a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a compact disc read-onlymemory (CD-ROM), or other optical or magnetic storage device. In thecontext of this document, a computer-readable medium may be any mediumthat can contain, store, communicate, or transport the program for useby or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of embodiments of theductless fume hood described herein may be written in anobject-oriented, scripted or unscripted programming language such asJava, Perl, Smalltalk, C++, or the like. However, the computer programcode for carrying out operations of embodiments of the ductless fumehood described herein may also be written in conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages.

Embodiments of the ductless fume hood described herein are describedbelow with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams ofmethods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products. It will beunderstood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or blockdiagrams, and/or combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrationsand/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer programinstructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particularmachine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor ofthe computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, createmeans for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block(s).

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block(s). Alternatively, computerprogram implemented steps or acts may be combined with operator or humanimplemented steps or acts in order to carry out an embodiment of theductless fume hood described herein.

In one aspect, the ductless fume hood apparatus described herein relatesto an improved system using electronic devices and software that enablereal time monitoring of gas levels in parts per million. Preferably, thedetector used to enable ppm measurements is a PID detector. In anotheraspect, the ductless fume hood apparatus described herein contains animproved system for monitoring filter life, wherein the efficiency ofthe filter can be easily and reliably monitored. Although containment ofchemical vapors is referred to throughout the application, it should beappreciated that an embodiment could also be used for the containment ofbiological vapors using the appropriate filters and sensors.

Referring to the drawings, throughout this description, like elementsare referred to by like numbers as shown in the drawings.

One embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention is a ductlessfume hood 100 as shown in FIG. 1. The ductless fume hood 100 comprises ahood enclosure bounded on three sides and on the front by a slideablesash window 114, preferably made of tempered glass. The sides of thehood enclosure may be made of glass when transparency is preferred,otherwise the sides are made of a chemically resistant material. Thesliding sash window 114 adjusts to various heights by sliding behindinto the front panel 104 to allow the hood operator access to the hoodenclosure. The bottom surface 122 of the hood enclosure is a worksurface made of polypropylene, stainless steel, Trespa or soapstone,preferably Trespa, which allows for easy maintenance and clean up ofspills. A motor 102 is used to pull air from the laboratory environmentthrough the opening 116 in the sliding sash window 114, where it willcombine with chemical vapors present in the hood to form an effluentstream. With the assistance of the motor, the effluent stream passesthrough the filter(s) 106 (and optionally 108 and/or 110). Filtered airis then pulled into the motor compartment, through the motor 102, andpushed out the top of the hood through the exhaust stack 118 back intothe laboratory environment. The entire operation may be controlledand/or programmed by users at control pad 120, which can optionally bepositioned at a location that is ADA compliant.

It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the fume hoodmay include any number of electrical outlets, electrical switches,sink(s), faucet(s), burning gas fixture(s), and lighting, and that thefume hood may be positioned on a base cabinet to achieve an optimumworking height. Further, the sliding sash window 114 may be raised orlowered between a present high and low point manually or using anelectric switch or the operating system.

A side cross sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line X is shown inFIG. 2. The motor 102 creates an air stream up from the sash windowopening 116 through the baffle 112, through an optional pre-filter 110for the removal of large particulates, e.g., greater in size than about0.5 microns, through an optional high efficiency particulate air (HEPA)filter 108 for the removal of particulates generally smaller in sizethan about 0.5 microns, through at least one chemical removal filter 106for the removal of gases, and through the motor 102 for exhausting intothe laboratory through the exhaust port 118. The electronics of thesystem are contained in the electronics panel which can be positionedbehind the front panel 104 and can be controlled by the microprocessorcontrol panel 120. The filters 106, 108, 110 can be accessed via thefront panel 104 for easy replacement. Particulate removal filters suchas 108 and 110 are particularly useful in pharmaceutical laboratories,clean rooms, etc.

In practice, laboratory air enters the fume hood at A, and is mixed withcontaminated fume hood air B, the mixture of which is pulled into thebaffle 112 at C. The contaminated air (or “effluent stream”) is scrubbedfree of particulates at D and chemicals at E before being exhausted backinto the laboratory at F.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a preferredembodiment includes the placement of the motor 102 downstream betweenthe filters and exhaust stack whereby the motor draws the room andcontaminated air through the filters, however, the motor may bepositioned such that the room and contaminated air are pushed throughthe filters as well. In another alternative, when the HEPA filter 108 ispresent, the motor is placed between the HEPA filter 108 and thechemical filter(s) 106. Preferably the motor is capable of moving air ina range that provides a face velocity of between 60 linear feet perminute (LFM) to 120 LFM in a smooth, laminar manner. The motor may beoperated manually or automatically through the operating system.

The chemical filter(s) used in the ductless fume hood described hereinpreferably include activated carbon. In general, standard activatedcarbon filters work at an efficiency of typically higher than 95% acrossa broad spectrum of chemical compounds. In order to increase adsorptiveefficiency for specific applications, specialty carbon filtersimpregnated with other compounds may also be used. A non-limitingexample of a specialty carbon filter is a filter in which the carbonmedia is impregnated with an oxidizing agent to oxidize formaldehyde andglutaraldehyde fumes. This type of filter is useful for specialtyapplications such as hospital pathology and endoscopy, which involvethese compounds. Another example of a specialty carbon filter is afilter in which silica, alumina, potassium permanganate or combinationsthereof are incorporated into the filter with the activated carbon. Forexample, in a preferred embodiment, the chemical filter(s) includeactivated carbon and silica. Filters including combined media may bearranged in differing layers, for example, silica, activated carbon,silica, etc. or activated carbon, silica, activated carbon, etc.Alternatively, the silica and activated carbon filter can be ahomogeneous mixture of the two media. In a preferred embodiment, thechemical filter(s) are arranged as layers, for example as illustrated inFIG. 4A. Preferably the filter structure comprises a bonded matrix sothat the filter is substantially devoid of dust.

It is readily understood by those skilled in the art that environmentalfactors may also affect the adsorptive efficiency of the hood. Theambient temperature of the laboratory and the contaminated air must bekept to a minimum, as higher temperatures lead to lower efficiency ofadsorption. Relative humidity must also be kept to a minimum as highrelative humidity can cause the chemical filter(s) to adsorb watermolecules in the place of chemical vapors.

The construction of the chemical filter(s) also affects the adsorptionefficiency of the hood. A filter with a thicker media bed will have alonger contact time during which a larger amount of chemical vapor willbe deposited in the filter bed by adsorption. In order to maximize thiscontact time, the air volume passing through the hood and the filter ispreferably low, however, it is necessary that the inflow velocity of thehood (through the opening 116 in the sliding sash window 114) bemaintained at a high enough rate to ensure proper containment of vaporsin the hood while still maintaining the residence time of the air in thefiltration bed for maximum adsorption to occur.

It should be appreciated that the ductless fume hoods of the inventionmay include one or more chemical filters, for example, two, three, four,five, etc., that may be arranged serially or in parallel. The chemicalfilters can be manufactured to be mateably accommodated in the ductlessfume hood. When the chemical filters need replacing, for example, thefilter efficiency drops below a specific value or a different filteringmedia is required for removal of a chemical, the filters can be easilyremoved and replaced with a new filter.

All current ductless fume hoods use a comparator system to measure inreal time the efficacy of the filtration bed, however, a quantifiablereading in absolute ppm by a real time monitoring system is notpresently available. Advantageously, not only can readings in ppm beobtained using the system and process described herein, but asillustrated in FIG. 3, air can be sampled from multiple locationsincluding, but not limited, exhaust gas from the exhaust plenum, theinterfilter monitoring port, and the laboratory environment. The systemis controlled by an operating system that provides monitoring andcontrol of microprocessors and input and output devices that areconnected using a controller-area network (CAN or CAN bus). Theoperating system will prompt the opening of the selector valve V1 of theair that is to be monitored and determine how long to pump the air,using the metering pump MP1, to the gas detection chamber GC1 based onthe gas flow and volume of the gas detection chamber GC1. The operatingsystem will also select the detector for chemical qualitation orquantitation based on gas to be monitored and followingqualitation/quantitation, the operating system will evacuate the air tothe entry of the filter 106 in the ductless fume hood. Detectorsinclude, but are not limited to, a PID detector, a Metal Oxide sensorarray (MOX sensor), an acid array sensor, or any combination of thethree. For example, when in set measure mode, the PID detector is usedand the concentration of gases in absolute ppm can be provided. When inset comparator mode, any of the PID, MOX or acid array sensors may beused.

Photoionization detectors (PIDs) are conventionally used to detect thepresence of chemical compounds in air. When a molecule is exposed tohigh-energy photons of the appropriate photon energy, the molecule willbecome ionized. A pair of electrodes are arranged to be exposed to theionized molecule such that the electrodes are electrically insulatedfrom each other and are maintained at a voltage differential from eachother. The ion is repelled from the higher voltage electrode andattracted to the lower voltage electrode. When a fluid stream is exposedto the high-energy photons, and a number of ions are produced, ameasurable current is generated.

Conventionally, a PID that is used in an instrument for the purpose ofdetecting chemical compounds in air includes: an ultraviolet (UV)radiation source as a source for high energy photons and associatedelectronic circuitry for driving the UV radiation source; an ionizationcell into which the output of the UV radiation source is directed, ameans for a sample of gas to enter and exit the ionization cell; and twoor more electrodes electrically insulated from each other and held at avoltage differential and associated electronic circuitry to maintain thevoltage differential, the electrodes having a size, shape, andorientation to effectively produce a current when exposed to ions. A PIDalone typically cannot provide a user with information to distinguishthe specific molecules and concentrations of a number of types ofmolecules that are in a sample. The UV source will emit photons of aspecific energy and any molecules that have an ionization energy lowerthan the energy of the photons will become ionized. If there is a singletype of molecule present in the sample that has an ionization energylower than the energy of the photon, a current will be generated and ifcompared against a known reference of the same type of molecule, aconcentration of the molecule in the sample can be determined. However,if there is more than one type of molecule that is thus ionized, theuser will be unable to discern the molecules that are present, theconcentrations that are present, or the number of different types ofmolecules present. The selection of a PID sensor for the ductless fumehood described herein is readily determinable by one skilled in the art.

Metal oxide (MOX) sensors are well known in the art. A MOX devicedetects the presence of gas in ambient air. The device typicallyincludes a sensor provided on a heated substrate which includes twometallic electrodes connected to the sensor. The presence of gas posinga hazard is detected by a sensible change in the resistance of thesensor by means of the electrodes that are incorporated in a suitableelectric circuit. The selection of a MOX sensor for the ductless fumehood described herein is readily determinable by one skilled in the art.

In set measure mode, the gas to be measured can be determined in realtime in parts per million. An example of the process includes taking anabsolute zero reading prior to taking a measurement of the exhaust air,ambient (laboratory) air or interfilter air. The operating system may beprogrammed for automatic monitoring or the user may manually requestinstant monitoring. Referring to FIG. 3, to take a zero reading (alsoreferred to as “contaminant-free air”) the operating system instructsvalve V1 to open thereby directing air through the zero filter cartridgeZFC1 by the metering pump MP1 into the gas detection chamber GC1 and themeasurement is taken by the PID and saved as absolute zero. Zero filtercartridge ZFC1 comprises gas phase filtration media that removes allbackground contamination in the room air as discussed further below.Once absolute zero has been established the operating system instructsvalve V1 to allow a reference gas (see, e.g., port 3) to be pumped bythe metering pump MP1 into gas detection chamber GC1 for measurementwith the PID. The reference gas has a known concentration in ppm and ischosen relative to the application to be used in the ductless fume hood.Examples of reference gases include, but are not limited to, isobutyleneand other known low TLV chemicals. Once the operating system has thezero air and the known reference gas measurement, a line equationgenerated to enable unknown concentrations to be calculated, as readilyunderstood by one skilled in the art. The operating system nowintroduces air containing unknown concentrations of gases from theinterfilter monitoring port, the room air port or the exhaust gasmonitoring port to gas detection chamber GC1 (via valve V1 usingmetering pump MP1), the gases are detected using the PID detector andthe concentration of the gases can be calculated by the operating systemin ppm and displayed on the control panel 120. Alternatively, or inaddition, the operating system directs gas concentrations to alarmcircuits and/or to external computers via TCP/IP and/or Ethernetconnections.

The zero filter cartridge can be made of high nuclear grade carbon thatremoves trace contaminants of most chemicals found in the laboratory.The filter is preferably changed whenever the main chemical filter(s)are changed. Since the operating system described herein allows the userto detect levels of contaminants in the laboratory air, high contaminantlevels, e.g., above 5 ppm, would also indicate to the user that the zerofilter cartridge should be changed more often. In one embodiment, theoperating system can be manually or automatically programmed to storethe detector reading of a new zero filter cartridge, which may be storedas a “zero” ZFC value, and all subsequent readings compared thereto.When it is clear that the subsequent readings can no longer be zeroed orare statistically different than the zero ZFC value, an alarm will soundand the system will shut down.

It should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the arrangementillustrated in FIG. 3 is non-limiting. In other words, although valve V1is illustrated as a five-way valve, other arrangements are contemplatedincluding, but not limited to, five individual valves all connected tothe metering pump MP1 wherein each of exhaust gas, interfilter gas,reference gas, room air and contaminant-free air have their own valve.Alternatively, valve V1 may be a two-way, three-way or four-way valvewhereby additional valving is upstream of valve V1. For example, valveV2 can be directly attached to the metering pump MP1 and as such, valveV1 no longer is required to be a five-way valve.

In set comparator mode, the efficiency or “status” of the filter(s) canbe determined in real time. The operating system may be programmed forautomatic monitoring or the user may request instant monitoring. A“clean air” measurement can be taken during filter change from theinterfilter monitoring port and stored in memory. Subsequentmeasurements of the interfilter monitoring port are compared to the“clean air” measurement. When the difference between the “clean air” andthe later measurement exceeds 50% threshold limit value (TLV) for thereference chemical, filter change is imminent. Set comparator gasdetection methods can be determined using the PID sensor, the MOX sensorand the acid sensor.

Disadvantageously, prior art filtration systems have been designed toonly detect the presence of contaminants before and/or after passagethrough a chemical filter and as such, it is impossible to understandthe status of the chemical filter, e.g., the extent of filtersaturation. To overcome this deficiency, another aspect of the ductlessfume hood described herein is the use of interfilter monitoring whichallows for monitoring of filter conditions at different layers in thefilter. For example, referring to FIG. 4A, a series of sampling tubesare positioned in the direction of gas flow in series within thechemical filter(s) and are connected to valve V2. Valve V2 (FIG. 4A) iscommunicatively connected to valve V1 in FIG. 3. It should beappreciated by one skilled in the art that although three sampling tubesare illustrated in FIG. 4A, the interfilter monitoring system is notlimited as such. Accordingly, the interfilter monitoring system mayinclude one, two, three, four, or five or more sampling tubes positionedtherein in series, preferably three. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, thesampling tubes are not only positioned in the direction of gas flow inseries, but also along the plane in sample layers 1, 2, and 3. Forexample, FIG. 4B is the view of the filter illustrated in FIG. 4A alongline Y in sample layer 2, whereby the number of sampling tubes in theplane are seven, although it should be appreciated than more or lesstubes may be positioned in the Y plane.

The process of using the interfilter monitoring system includes theoperating system directing valve V2 to open at sample layer 1 andsending the air sample to gas detector GC1 via valve V1 using gasmetering pump MP1 (see, FIG. 3). The measurement of the air sample canbe made in either set measure and/or set comparator mode. Themeasurement of sample layer 1 is recorded. The operating system thenswitches to open valve V2 and directs the system to measure the air fromsample layer 2 and record it. The operating system then switches to openvalve V2 and directs the system to measure the air from sample layer 3and record it. The operating system tracks the time Ti when sample layer1 reaches the TLV for the chemical being monitored by the operatingsystem. Once the TLV has been reached at sample layer 1, a timer isstarted and begins to record T2. When the operating system registersthat sample layer 2 has also reached the TLV for the chemical beingmonitored (T2), a calculation is made by the operating system as to theestimated time required for sample layer 3 to also reach the TLV. Theestimated remaining life of the filter (ESTF) is then displayed in daysof use remaining on the control panel 120 and alternatively sent toexternal computers via TCP/IP and/or Ethernet connections. Once thelevel of the gas being monitored at sample layer 3 exceeds the TLV, theoperating system switches all monitoring to the exhaust plenum (see,Port 1 in FIG. 3) and alerts the user when the level of gas in theexhaust exceeds 50% TLV. At 100% TLV an alarm is generated that eitherswitches the system to bypass mode or begins a normal shutdown sequence.Monitoring the exhaust gases is useful because the chemical filter(s)can start to desorb gases when close to maximum capacity.

Another aspect of the ductless fume hood described herein relates to theoperating system in general, wherein the operating system ispre-programmed with an onboard chemical database including chemicalsapproved for use in the ductless fume hood with the existing filtertechnology. The operating system may be connected to external computersvia TCP/IP and/or Ethernet connections for automatic or manual uploadingof additional chemicals as more are approved for use in the ductlessfume hood with the existing filter technology. In practice, the user mayselect one of the chemicals from the database and the operating systemconfirms that the chemical filter(s) is capable of removing saidchemicals from the contaminated air. Further, the operating system willselect the detector that is compatible with said chemical. For example,if the chemical will damage the PID, the operating system will not enterset measure mode. When more than one chemical is selected, the chemicaldatabase, which includes the TLV values for each chemical, identifiesthe selected chemical with the lowest TLV and that chemical will be usedas the zero reading in set measure (assuming the chemical can bedetected using a PID) and/or the reference chemical in set comparatormode. In the event that the chemical filter(s) are not compatible withthe selected chemical, the system will sound an alarm and the ductlessfume hood will not go on. The user will not be able to override theoperating system with respect to the chemical(s) to be monitored and theappropriate chemical filter(s) and compatible detectors.

The control panel 120 is preferably a touch screen which allows the userto program, monitor and/or control the ductless fume hood. For example,the control panel may allow the user to monitor and control the motorblower speed, lights, purging, shutdown, users, gas detection, energyuse, hood temperature, setup, electrical outlets, burning gases, timers,filters, system data, communication with external computers, etc. Itshould be appreciated that the control panel 120 has been described asbeing attached to the ductless fume hood as a touch screen, however,other alternatives include the use of keyboards and other computingdevices and screens that are communicatively connected to the ductlessfume hood, as readily understood by one skilled in the art.

The operating system is preferably pre-programmed with an alarm setpoint for specific applications. Once a reliable set point isestablished, the user will not be required to perform manual airsampling and will be able to rely on the alarm system to determine whenthe filter is no longer effective. That said, preferably, the ductlessfume hood of the invention does include manual sampling ports so thatusers may use colorimetric gas sampling tubes to analyze for thepresence of contaminants. This program allows for the added convenienceof being able to rely on an alarm without compromising the user'ssafety.

Another aspect of the ductless fume hood described herein relates to theuse of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to ensure thatthe operating system, which includes a pre-programmed chemical database,accurately identifies whether the chemical filter(s) will efficaciouslyremove a pre-selected chemical species from the effluent stream. In oneembodiment, the chemical filter(s) (e.g., 106 in FIG. 1) include atleast one RFID tag located on or in the construction of the chemicalfilter(s), wherein said RFID tag is readable by an RFID detector whenthe chemical filter is inserted into the ductless fume hood.Specifically, the RFID detector is positioned within the ductless fumehood so that the RFID tag is proximally located relative to the RFIDdetector upon insertion of the chemical filter(s) in the ductless fumehood. In another embodiment, the chemical filter(s) includes an RFID tagthat can be detachably removed from the chemical filter(s) prior toinsertion of the filter(s) into the ductless fume hood, wherein thedetachable tag is swiped by an externally located RFID detector on theductless fume hood. For example, the tag may be an RFID card having thedimensions of a credit card, a keyfob or any other object that caninclude the RFID tag and can be detachable from the new chemicalfilter(s). Regardless of the detection setup, the RFID detector sendsall information relating to the chemical filter(s) to the operatingsystem so that the operating system can ensure that the ductless fumehood is operating safely and efficaciously.

Once the operating system has read the RFID tag it will check thechemical database automatically to ensure that the chemicals selected inthe current application may be used with the filter now to be installed.An alarm would be generated if there is no match between the filter andthe chemicals to be used.

Although the invention has been variously disclosed herein withreference to illustrative embodiments and features, it will beappreciated that the embodiments and features described hereinabove arenot intended to limit the invention, and that other variations,modifications and other embodiments will suggest themselves to those ofordinary skill in the art, based on the disclosure herein. The inventiontherefore is to be broadly construed, as encompassing all suchvariations, modifications and alternative embodiments within the spiritand scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

What is claimed is:
 1. A ductless fume hood comprising: a hood enclosurecomprising an opening and an exhaust stack, wherein the hood enclosureis open to a room for ingress of room air into the hood enclosurethrough the opening for combination with contaminated air generated inthe hood enclosure to form an effluent stream; a detection systemcomprising a photo-ionization detector (PID) configured for detecting achemical compound in the effluent stream; wherein the hood enclosure isconfigured to include at least one chemical removal filter; and whereinthe effluent stream passes through the at least one chemical removalfilter for egress at the exhaust stack.
 2. The ductless fume hood ofclaim 1, wherein the PID is configured to operate in either a setmeasure mode or in a set comparator mode, wherein the set measure modeis configured to determine a change in absolute gas concentrationrelative to a known zero, and wherein the set comparator mode isconfigured to measure the change in status of the at least one chemicalfilter related to a normal condition with a new filter.
 3. The ductlessfume hood of claim 2, wherein when operating in the set comparator modethe normal condition with the new filter is compared to latermeasurements, and a notification of a filter change is made when one ofthe later measurements exceeds a threshold limit value (TLV) of thenormal condition
 4. The ductless fume hood of claim 2, wherein whenoperating in the set measure mode the detection system is configured to:take a zero reading of the room air using the PID; take a known readingof a reference gas using the PID; take an unknown reading of the roomair, interfilter air, or exhaust air using the PID; and calculate aconcentration of the chemical compound in the unknown reading of theroom air, the interfilter air, or the exhaust air.
 5. The ductless fumehood of claim 4, wherein the room air used for the zero reading isdirected through a filter cartridge to remove background contaminationin the room air.
 6. The ductless fume hood of claim 4, wherein thedetection system is configured to take the unknown readings of the roomair, the interfilter air, and the exhaust air using the PID, andcalculate the concentration of the chemical compound in the unknownreading of the room air, the interfilter air, and the exhaust air. 7.The ductless fume hood of claim 1, wherein the detection system furthercomprises at least a first gas valve that switches between the room air,the interfilter air, the exhaust air, and the reference gas.
 8. Theductless fume hood of claim 7, wherein the detection system furthercomprises a gas metering pump and a gas detection chamber operativelycoupled to the first gas valve.
 9. The ductless fume hood of claim 1,wherein the detection system further comprises: a metal oxide (MOX)detector configured to detect the chemical compound in the effluentstream in the set comparator mode; or an acid array detector configuredto detect the chemical compound in the effluent stream in the setcomparator mode.
 10. The ductless fume hood of claim 1, furthercomprising: the at least one chemical removal filter; and at least onehigh efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.
 11. The ductless fumehood of claim 10, wherein the detection system further comprises atleast one sampling tube, and wherein the at least one sampling tubepasses through the at least one chemical removal filter.
 12. Theductless fume hood of claim 1, further comprising: one or moreprocessors configured to execute computer readable instructions to:access a chemical database, wherein the chemical database comprises aplurality of chemical species, wherein each of the plurality of chemicalspecies is associated with one or more filters that are approved for usewith each of the plurality of chemical species in the ductless fumehood; determine, in response to a user selection of at least onechemical species from the plurality of chemical species from thechemical database, the at least one chemical removal filter capable ofremoving the at least one chemical species from the effluent stream ofcontaminated air; and notify the user of the at least one chemicalremoval filter capable of removing the at least one chemical speciesfrom the effluent stream of contaminated air.
 13. The ductless fume hoodof claim 1, further comprising: one or more processors configured toexecute computer readable instructions to: access a chemical database,wherein the chemical database comprises a plurality of chemical species,wherein each of the plurality of chemical species is associated with atleast one of two or more detectors that are approved for use with eachof the plurality of chemical species; determine, in response to the userselection of the at least one chemical species, when at least one of thetwo or more detectors is compatible with the at least one chemicalspecies selected and allow operation of the ductless fume hood using theat least one of the two or more detectors that is compatible, and whenat least one of the two or more detectors is incompatible with the atleast one chemical species selected and prevent operation of the atleast one of the two or more detectors that is incompatible.
 14. Amethod for using a detection system within a ductless fume hood, themethod comprising: drawing room air into a hood enclosure through anopening, wherein the room air combines with contaminated air within thehood enclosure to form an effluent stream; drawing the effluent steamthrough at least one chemical removal filter for egress at an exhauststack; using the detection system comprising a photo-ionization detector(PID) to detect a chemical compound in the effluent stream;
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the detection system is operated in either aset measure mode or in a set comparator mode.
 16. The method of claim15, wherein when operating in the set measure mode the detection systemis configured to determine a change in absolute gas concentrationrelative to a known zero; and wherein when operating in the setcomparator mode the PID, or a metal oxide or an acid array sensor, isused and is configured to measure the change in status of the at leastone chemical removal filter related to a normal condition with a newfilter.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein operating in the set measuremode comprises: taking a zero reading of the room air using the PID;taking a known reading of a reference gas using the PID; taking anunknown reading of the room air, interfilter air, or exhaust air usingthe PID; and calculating a concentration of the chemical compound in theunknown reading of the room air, the interfilter air, or the exhaustair.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein operating in the set comparatormode comprises: comparing the normal condition with the new filter tolater measurements; and providing a notification of a filter change whenone of the later measurements exceeds a threshold limit value (TLV) ofthe normal condition.
 19. A computer program product for operating aductless fume hood, the computer program product comprising at least onenon-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable programcode portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program codeportions comprising: an executable portion configured for operating aductless fume hood, wherein the ductless fume hood comprises: a hoodenclosure; a detection system comprising two or more detectors, whereinthe two or more detectors comprise a photo-ionization detector (PID)sensor, and at least one of a metal oxide sensor or an acid arraysensor, for monitoring for the presence of at least one contaminantspecies in the ductless fume hood; a control panel; an exhaust stack;and an executable portion configured to activate drawing room air into ahood enclosure through an opening, wherein the room air combines withcontaminated air within the hood enclosure to form an effluent stream,and wherein the effluent steam passes through at least one chemicalremoval filter for egress at an exhaust stack; and an executable portionconfigured to use the detection system to detect the at least onecontaminant in the ductless fume hood.
 20. The computer program productof claim 19, wherein a motor is operatively coupled to the ductless fumehood and passes the effluent stream of contaminated air through the hoodenclosure and the at least one chemical removal filter for egress at theexhaust stack, and wherein the computer-readable program code portionsfurther comprise: an executable portion configured for accessing achemical database, wherein the chemical database comprises a pluralityof chemical species, wherein each of the plurality of chemical speciesis associated with one or more filters that are approved for use witheach of the plurality of chemical species in the ductless fume hood, andwherein each of the plurality of chemical species is associated with atleast one of the two or more detectors that are approved for use witheach of the plurality of chemical species; an executable portionconfigured for determining, in response to a user selection of at leastone chemical species from the plurality of chemical species from thechemical database, the at least one chemical removal filter capable ofremoving the at least one chemical species from the effluent stream ofcontaminated air; an executable portion configured for notifying theuser of the at least one chemical removal filter capable of removing theat least one chemical species from the effluent stream of contaminatedair; and an executable portion configured to determine, in response tothe user selection of the at least one chemical species, when at leastone of the two or more detectors is compatible with the at least onechemical species selected and allow operation of the ductless fume hoodusing the at least one of the two or more detectors that is compatible,and determine when at least one of the two or more detectors isincompatible with the at least one chemical species selected and preventoperation of the at least one of the two or more detectors that isincompatible.